Armies: What good are they?

[Iskandar Reza]

I dont see any point to building an army if I can attack the city repeatedly with a dozen horsemen and defend the steck with two or three pikemans. Armies are just not that worth it, and I dont think they can be upgraded, so what's the point?

[Ecthy]

A Panzer unit can attack an enemy city seevral times a turn.

An army that consist sof only Panzer units can only attack a city once a turn.

So why did I create that arm`y?

Also, how can I disband an army and get the leader back? Do get him back if I just disband it?

[Trifna]

History leaders were military, or specially good in something they wanted (a project). So I guess you can't disband him and use him elsewhere...

[Admiral PJ]

You can disband armies, and get 100 shields, so you can build most of a cathedral (but not palaces/wonders) or half a factory/most a battleship. The units on the army just dissapear when disbanded and don't offer any extra shields.

I suppose you shouldn't put fast units in armies, maybe infantry would be best, unless you have cavalry which might be good for attacking with an army.

Can catapults etc work with them?

[Ludwig]

Well, the extra hitpoints pretty much guarantee that you will defeat whatever unit you attack, unless it's another army.

I know you can use the units piecemeal, but if you only damage the defender and then lose, often the defender will gain an experience level and regain a hit point. In addition, if you merely damage the unit, he cycles down to the bottom of the defender stack and is waiting there when you clear the rest of the stack out. I've found that when attacking strongly defended cities it helps to use an army or two because your attrition rates are just too high otherwise for little or no return.

Armies also have great stopping power for defense. If you plant one in a city, it's hard for that city to fall. If you plant one in enemy territory, it makes a secure "base" for your other mobile units to use as a bridgehead; they can attack out of the square containing the army, and then withdraw back into that square after destroying the enemy. They can't be effectively counterattacked in this instance because the army will accept all counterattacks until it is destroyed - which is basically "never".

So armies do have SOME uses. But only, only, only use the Military Academy minor wonder to build them. NEVER waste a leader on an army. Use leaders to rush-buy wonders.

[G.A]

But you first need to waste one (and often only) leader on an army to get the academy, eh.

[War4ever]

i am disappointed with armies..... you can't upgrade....early ones become obsolete in no time...you waste a leader and you can't name the army... hope a patch adresses at least some of these things in the near future

[Dienstag]

But only, only, only use the Military Academy minor wonder to build them. NEVER waste a leader on an army. Use leaders to rush-buy wonders.

...except for the first leader, I hope you meant... You can't build the Military Academy without having at least once used a Leader to make an Army. Sorry for stating the obvious.

[Green Giant]

Originally posted by Ludwig
Well, the extra hitpoints pretty much guarantee that you will defeat whatever unit you attack, unless it's another army.

I have never seen an army win a single battle in all my playing time.

[Admiral PJ]

Oops, I read the Civ3 readme,
Armies can move fast if all the units in them move the same rate, so 3 knights will mean the army can move 2